Propeller shafts used in vehicle applications typically employ a bracket to generally support the shaft from a structural member of the vehicle, such as a portion of a frame of the vehicle. The bracket typically surrounds the shaft and supports it while allowing the shaft to rotate, such as to supply motive force to the wheels of the vehicle. Brackets generally must absorb at least a portion of the vibration that may be transmitted through or generated by the propshaft, while minimizing movement of the propshaft within the bracket, during operation. The brackets typically employ a vibration absorbing component or isolator to allow relatively small movements of the propshaft within the bracket while also retaining the propshaft in a proper position and absorbing vibration transmitted from the propshaft to the bracket, and further to the vehicle.
Brackets and isolators may generally result in a complex assembly having many small components that must be precisely fit together to properly provide required retention and vibration absorption characteristics for a particular vehicle application. For example, while it may be desirable to reduce parts by forming a bracket form a single piece, such as by casting or stamping the bracket, known one piece bracket designs generally have difficulty meeting retention requirements for most vehicle applications, even when meeting enhanced tolerance requirements required for the press-fit interfaces between the bracket and isolator. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simplified shaft retaining bracket assembly that can provide adequate retention properties while also reducing overall design and manufacturing costs and allowing for flexibility of the design, such that various structural properties of the bracket assembly may be modified without substantially altering the overall bracket design.